Finalists Of Singapore Sports Awards 2013 Unveiled

Finalists Of Singapore Sports Awards 2013 Unveiled

Singapore, 28 May 2013 - Some of Singapore's best sports talent, event organisers and journalists move one step closer to bagging the title in their respective nominated categories, as they were announced finalists of the Singapore Sports Awards (SSA) 2013 today.

2. Starting out from humble beginnings, the SSA had just four categories when it was first introduced in 1967. Today, the Awards has evolved to become Singapore's most highly coveted honours for sporting achievements, covering 12 award categories that cut across various facets of the sporting ecosystem - from athletes and coaches to event organisers and media. Recent additions include the "Best Sports Event (International)", "Best Sports Event (Local)", and the "Most Inspiring Sports Story", which will continue to be part of the award category mix this year. This progression supports ongoing efforts to foster deeper relationships and collaborations in sport across the people, public and private sectors, as part of the Vision 2030 sporting journey.

3. "The SSA has come a long way. Today, it has become the event that athletes and sporting partners look forward to every year, and more importantly an accolade that is highly regarded by the industry," said Mrs Jessie Phua, committee member of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) who is also the Chairman of the SSA 2013. She added, "We will continue to review and reinvent the SSA periodically, to ensure it remains relevant over the years."

4. Chairperson of the "Most Inspiring Sports Story" category Mr Ng Wei Joo, Immediate Past President of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore and Partner of Tulchan Communications LLP, was heartened by the quality of submissions this year. He said, "The stories submitted this year are of a high standard, and that certainly made the judging process quite challenging. We hope that through the Awards, journalists will be encouraged to continue writing stories that inspire Singaporeans to live better through sports."

5. Said Mr Low Teo Ping, Chairperson of the "Best Sports Event of the Year" category and Vice President of the SNOC, "The 'Best Sports Event of the Year' award has found traction since it was launched last year. Through the award, we want to recognise the efforts of event organisers and National Sports Associations in making Singapore a vibrant sporting city with the events they stage. These events have also in their own ways, contributed economically in the areas of tourism, infrastructure enhancements and capability development. Singaporeans are now able to participate in and watch different genres of sporting action all year round. Having more international sporting events in Singapore also showcases our offerings as a sporting nation and this will continue to attract world-class entities critical to the development of the sports industry."

6. The finalists for the Main Awards were selected by the SSA Selection Committees, following which a secret ballot was carried out to choose the most deserving winners. Auditing firm KPMG has been engaged to tally the votes and results will be made known at the SSA event on 11 June 2013.

Please refer to Annex A for the list of finalists.

Annex A